I'll Always Come For You
by xxBellatrix
Summary: Asch/Luke. Set roughly 6 months after the final event in the core. Asch and Luke go on an epic adventure... with a special guest! I promise that this will be a fic to remember.
1. Prologue: My name is

**I'll Always Come For You**

**Prologue: "My name is..."**

**A/N: This is something I've wanted to write for a really long time, and I'm hoping to turn it into a really long fic. But only if you guys like it, so please review ^^! Oh, and I didn't discontinue Angel Without Wings, I'm just not sure what direction I want it to take right now, so in the meantime please enjoy this ^^ !**

**Spoiler warning: End game all the way.**

**Luke: ... Is it that time again already?  
****B: Yup! Disclaimer, please!  
****Luke: Why always me?!  
****B: Because you argue less! ... And I don't like to think of what Asch might do to me if I ask ^^;  
****Asch: Damn straight.  
****B: Outnumbered! Now, if you please?  
****Luke: (grumble) ... xxBellatrix doesn't own Tales of the Abyss or its characters.**

* * *

_"... Dreck._

_I think I'm dying._

_Shut up! ... Let me say what I have to, while I still can._

_It's all up to you now. I did the best I could, and I'm leaving you my legacy. When you think that it's too hard, and things are too much for you, and if it's not enough to suck it up and do it for the sake of the world... then do it for me._

_I believe in you... Luke..."_

The redhead woke up with a start, and immediately opened his eyes. _What the hell..? _He took in his surroundings, and was even more confused. To his right, straw hay bails piled as high as the eye could see, to his left, a small table with a steaming kettle and a rocking chair. And directly in front of him... an old woman!?

"Ah Red, you're awake," she said with a kind smile, and began pouring steaming cups of whatever was in the kettle. "I made you more of my special tea, drink up, and someday you'll be big and strong."

The long-haired man sat numbly in the bed, staring at the cup in the old woman's hand. He couldn't bring himself to make head or tails of this situation. Hoping to find answers somewhere, he stared into the offered cup, and saw his green eyes reflected back at him from the bubbling, light pink water. "What... the hell is this supposed to be?"

The cup clattered to the floor, and the old woman clutched her heart with both hands. "You're aware! Thank the spirits, you're finally aware!" expelling a deep breath she probably hadn't known she'd been holding, the woman went to sit in a rocking chair in the corner, her eyes never leaving the man in the bed.

The green eyed man had to close his eyes, or he was afraid he'd begin seeing spots. _What the hell is going on here... _At last, for lack of information he tried to list everything he knew._ I woke up in a strange place... But I don't remember ever going to sleep. Then she tried to feed me some strange pink liquid... She said she'd given it to me before. Has she been poisoning me...? _He tentatively lifted up the sheets he was under as if to check for damage, and saw that he was wearing long, white silk robes_. Well, except for looking like a martyr I think I'm all right... But I need more information_. He opened his eyes, and his gaze fell on the woman avidly watching him. _And she's the only one with answers_. He asked the first question that came to his mind. "Why did you call me Red?"

The old woman chuckled from her place in the far corner. "Because of your hair."

The red-haired man sat patiently, as if waiting for more. She chuckled again. "I'm sorry if you were expecting a more sinister explanation, but that's really all there was to the nickname. Well that, and I had to name you something."

He immediately bristled at being referred to like someone's possession. "I have a name," he spat. "It's..."

_This can't be. _His eyes widened at the realization that he didn't remember. All of his memories played out before his mind like a video camera. He couldn't pick out which one of the figures he was... The blond man dressed in earthy colors... the powerfully built black-bearded man in black armor... or even the short green-haired boy wearing a mask. It all began to meld into one, and the man began to have trouble picking out his own consciousness from the mess.

Catching sight of the old woman watching him with an amused expression infuriated him. _She thinks she did this to me... Made me forget who I am. I'm better than this.. I can remember. _He closed his eyes again with renewed concentration. And tried desperately to cling onto his consciousness, to be able to string together coherent thoughts. This time went better. _I can't be the blond... _hethought, feeling his own long red hair slip between his fingers. _And I'm too slender to be the armored man. I'm taller than the masked boy... Then who am I?_

As if in answer to his question, a new figure walked out onto the scene playing before his closed eyes. A man with sparkling green eyes and long hair, dressed in white, laughing soundlessly with carefree abandon. Then, just as the man had begun to reach a conclusion, a second figure appeared, as different as he was similar to the previous man. They had the same long, red hair, the same stunning green eyes, but as carefree and light as the other was, this one was shrouded in shadow. His eyes weren't soft, they were hard and constantly wary, and hand ready, on the hilt of his sword.

The redhead on the bed opened his eyes. He touched his hair, it was as long and red as the boys in his memories. He spread apart his sheets and once again looked at his clothing. White, like the first boy. He turned and looked at the puddle of pink water on the floor, and saw that his green eyes were narrowed in suspicion. _But that doesn't mean anything_. The man thought, covering his face with his hands._ I'm suspicious because I don't know anything... I could be either of them. _

He tried to pick through the memories again. _What can I do to remember...?_

_***_

_"What can I do to remember?" a young boy with shoulder-length red hair asked, sprawled on the ground of a magnificent courtyard._

_"I'm sorry," a tall man with kind blue eyes and long brown hair knelt down beside the boy. "I pushed you too hard. You were knocked out by one of my more powerful blows. I thought you were ready."_

_"What can I do to remember?" the boy on the ground repeated more insistently._

_"Do you remember your name?" the man asked with concerned eyes. _

_"Of course I do! It's..." the boy's brilliant green eyes fell in sadness. "No, I don't."_

_"What you must do," the blue-eyed man rose from the ground, his robes of white and grey falling around him. "is remember. Remember the very last thing you can. That is the first step."_

_***_

_That doesn't help me. _The red-haired man let out a frustrated sigh. _Both of those green-eyed boys were trained by that man, at around that same age. _He closed his eyes again. _Still, it can't hurt to try._

Abruptly, words rang through his mind, echoing to him from his memories.

_"I need you," _the voice said. _"This can't be. We'll do it together, like we always have. There has got to be a better way."_

The man in the bed could sense tears in the voice that spoke.

_"You can't leave me." _he said, more insistently. _"You are the reason for my existence, without you what do I have to live for? You gave me everything. There has to be something I can do for you. Anything. Anything..."_

The red-haired man could vaguely tell through the memory that the man who was speaking was holding something heavy, and his tears were falling on it.

_"I will never forget you. I'll live for both of us. You'll live in my heart, forever."_

_This can't be. _The man in robes of silver gripped his head, it hurt so much_. It doesn't make sense..._

_"I will never forget you."_

The man in the bed slowly rose, his head strangely calm and clear.

The woman smiled expectantly at him. "Well?"

"My name," the crimson-haired man half-turned to glare at her. "is Asch."


	2. Chapter One: I'm going home

**I'll Always Come For You**

**Chapter One: "I'm going home."**

* * *

"Asch, eh?" the old woman chuckled, something glinting behind her milky grey eyes. "You sure about that?"

"The next time you open your mouth," said the God-general. "I'd better hear some useful information."

"All right then," she smiled, rocking lightly in her chair. "What would you like to know?"

"What the hell am I doing here?"

"You've been recovering. I found you on the outskirts of the Absorption Gate, barely alive," she calmly explained. "That was a little under six months ago."

"Six months," Asch said in the most bored manner he could manage, trying not to betray his reaction onto his face. _Six months. Six months. Six months. _"And who are you to care if I lived or died?"

The old woman spread her arms wide. "I am but an old and lonely crone. I have nothing to care for but my plants, and even they have long since died. I considered it a message from Lorelei to save you."

"Hn," Asch closed his eyes, fighting against his emotions._ I have to ask... _"Did you... Did you find anyone else with me?"

She smiled as kindly as possible. "No. Only you."

The God-general flinched, but it was a movement so slight that if one hadn't been watching for it, it would have gone unnoticed. She had been watching.

Asch opened his eyes and looked down at his silver robes, testing the material against his porcelain skin. "Why did you dress me like this? What happened to my armor?"

For the first time since meeting her, Asch thought that his self-appointed savior looked uncomfortable.

"For awhile," she began uneasily, averting her strange eyes from him. "Right near before you woke up, it didn't look like you were going to make it. Please don't misunderstand me," she started, when she mistook Asch's signs of interest for discomfort. "You were in no immediate danger, but you just remained.. stable," her eyes took on a reminiscent quality. "Like you were never going to change. Never grow older. Never open your eyes again," there was a slight pause, and then she seemed to snap out of wherever her memories had taken her for those few seconds, and her voice took on a matter-of-fact tone. "So I decided to dress you in robes that I thought would please the spirits, if my charge were to pass from this world to the next."

Asch immediately bristled at being referred to as her "charge", but decided to let it go in favor of addressing other, more pressing matters.

_Luke. Luke is gone. She did not find Luke with me. We were separated. Luke is gone._

_Luke is gone._

Asch couldn't wrap his mind around the words in his head; they all started to meld together until they didn't make sense anymore. He could see the memory so clear in his head now. He refused to think of it as his last memory of Luke.

_***_

_"Dreck," Asch whispered, broken and bloody. "I think I'm dying."_

_"I need you," Luke barely got out his words, his throat was so constricted. He stared heartbrokenly at his original cradled in his arms. "This can't be. We'll do it together, like we always have. There has got to be a better way."_

_"Shut up!" Asch rasped, and then coughed up blood. He felt Luke's hands grip him tighter, and it calmed him. His eyelids began to slowly droop. "...Let me say what I have to, while I still can."_

_Luke shook his head. "You can't leave me," he insisted. "You are the reason for my existence, without you what do I have to live for? You gave me everything. There has to be something I can do for you. Anything. Anything..."_

_Asch felt a crystalline tear land on his cheek, followed by two more. He heard the words that Luke didn't say: 'I would trade places with you in a heartbeat.' He wanted to reach up and touch his replica, to brush away his tears... but he found that he couldn't feel his arms._

_"It's all up to you now," the dying God-general whispered. "I did the best I could, and I'm leaving you my legacy. When you think that it's too hard, and things are too much for you, and if it's not enough to suck it up and do it for the sake of the world," Asch paused, trying to reach through time and space, to somehow convey to Luke everything that he's meant to him. "... Then do it for me."_

_Something broke inside Luke. His tears flowed like a river as he held his other half in his arms, the world around him losing colour as he felt his original's breath almost still. _

_"I will never forget you," The broken noble whispered, not knowing if Asch could even hear him anymore, but knowing that he had to try. "I'll live for both of us. You'll live in my heart, forever."_

_Asch's consciousness began to slip away, and he desperately tried to cling to Luke's words. _

_Luke felt the ground beneath him begin to shake, and instead of panic, he felt strangely calm. He tenderly lifted his left hand and brushed away a strand of blood-soaked crimson hair clinging to Asch's forehead. _

_"I will never forget you."_

_And then the ground caved in._

_***_

_But I didn't die. _Asch thought._ I lived... and Luke was the one that disappeared. All those words... and we didn't know anything at all. We didn't know.. that it would happen in reverse. _

_Your other half is gone. _A small voice in the back of his mind told him. He dimly recognized it as the voice of reason trying to bring him back from the edge of despair, upon which he was now dangerously balanced. He tried to ignore it. _Where will you go now?_

Asch slowly rose from the bed, and demanded his armor.

"Whyever for?" the old woman asked, honestly puzzled. "It's probably rusted by now, so you may keep the silver robes."

Asch shot her a filthy glare. "It's Kimlascan Steel, First Order," he spat. "It wouldn't rust in two millenia of lightning storms."

The old woman shrugged. "It's in the chest at the foot of your bed," she continued to peer at him as he kicked fruitlessly at the lock on the chest. "Where are you going, child?"

"I'm no child,"_ kick_. "I want my armor." _kick._ "I'm going home." _KICK. _"Now give me my fucking sword, this isn't working."

"Your sword," the woman said, smiling sinisterly. "Is in the chest."

There were twenty-seven heart beats of complete silence, then...

"ICICLE RAIN!!" he screamed, and mighty icicles appeared out of nowhere and smashed the trunk to pieces.

The old woman still hadn't moved an inch from her seat in the rocking chair, but she raised an eyebrow in question.

"What?" Asch barked, wasting no time in retrieving his things from the shattered trunk. "At least I used ice, something that would _not_ set your house on fire."

"How... considerate," she smiled, quirked eyebrow still in place. "And if I may repeat myself, where are you going?"

"Like I said," Asch pinned her with a trademark glare as he struggled to fit his boots on, hopping around on one leg. "Home."

She chuckled when he overbalanced and crashed onto the bed. He stared sideways at her and a thought struck him.

"Old woman," the God general barked. "I don't know your name."

"Well," she chuckled again and slowly rose. "At the risk of losing your endearing nickname for me... My name is Amane."

_Amane. _The name rang a bell, but Asch found he couldn't place it, so he swiftly gave up.

"Well," the crimson haired soldier fastened his tabard, and tucked the silken robes into his bag, for a reason he wasn't sure of at all, if only to remind himself of this strange woman's kindness. He tried to think of an appropriate way to thank her. "Thank you for trying to poison me, the horrible sleeping accomodations, the clothes that look they belong in a monastery, and all the goddamn _sympathy_."

"You're welcome, Asch," Amane smiled. She watched the God-general begin to turn away and make for the door, then at the last second made up her mind. "Where is 'home'?"

With one hand on the doorframe, Asch paused and half-turned back.

"Baticul."

* * *

**A/N: Just to let you all know, this is all just set-up, I promise that the following chapters will get MUCH more intense (and longer^^)! Ahh I hope that chapter was vague enough for you all XD What will Asch find when he goes to Baticul? Is Asch angsty enough? No? He needs more angst? ****Then review review review ^^ the more reviews I get, THE ANGSTIER THE ASCH!! **

**Asch: What the hell!? 'An angstier Asch?!' No no no don't review!!  
****B: Oh? What's this? Asch, you're volunteering to do my disclaimer ^^ !  
****Asch: No! I don't owe you anything, you've turned me into an angsty teenage girl!!  
****B: And I'll do worse to you if you don't do my disclaaaiimmmerrr ^^!  
****Asch: ...  
****B: ...  
****Asch: ... xxBellatrix doesn't own Tales of the Abyss or any of its characters.  
****B: (shh. What Asch doesn't know won't kill him ^^)  
****Asch: *glare* what was that...?  
****B: ^^;**


	3. Chapter Two: Six Months

**I'll Always Come For You**

**Chapter Two:** **Six Months  
**

**

* * *

  
**

_Baticul. I'll go home to Baticul._

"Yeah," Asch said aloud, staring at his reflection in the window of his train. "And now what?"

The God-general sighed and rested his chin in his hands, trying to pay attention to the scenery outside his window.

Trees. _Not Baticul_. Trees. _Not Baticul_. Hills. _Definitely not Baticul_. Mineshaft. _Still not Baticul_. Gates. _Not Bati-.. huh?_

"All please disembark for the capital of light, the city of Baticul!" the train's conductor called through the compartments. "Any bound for the capital of Malkuth, please remain seated."

Asch held his seat, watching as nearly all the train's passengers stood and made for the door.

_Maybe I _should_ go to Malkuth_. Asch thought, seconds before the voice in the back of his mind joined the conversation.

_There isn't anything for you in Grand Chokmah._

_There isn't anything for me in Baticul_. Asch closed his eyes. _Not anymore_.

The God-general held his seat until he heard the doors slam shut and he felt the train slowly begin to pick up speed. He gazed out the window and at the sight of the castle of Baticul, something lurched in his heart. That something, whatever it was, was pulling him to the castle, and so he made the split-second decision to spin himself out the window and land on the streets of the Kimlascan capital.

Asch stayed hunched over on the ground for many long moments, unwilling to pick himself up. _Why? _Asch lightly punched the pavement with his right fist_. Why should I? What's over at the castle that this cracked sidewalk can't give me?_

"Hey, are you all right over there?"

The crimson-haired God-general lifted his head a few slight inches to see a brown-haired boy -he hazarded a guess that he was maybe in his early teens- looking at him curiously from under his mop of dark hair.

_Hn._ "I'm fine." Asch unfolded his body in one fluid movement and locked his gaze on the Baticul heights.

The boy followed his gaze and after a moment his eyes lit up. "Oh! Are you here to see the King and Queen? I hear they're taking audiences today!"

Asch's head tilted a fraction in the boy's direction, the only indication that the boy had caught his interest, and nearly undetectable. "Is that... unusual?"

"Well, not really I guess. It's more that usually you have to make an appointment, but today they're taking open audiences. Anyone can go," the boy's head cocked to the side as he studied Asch more closely. "You know mister, you look real like the King."

_That's a new one. I always heard that I look more like Susanne than the Duke. _"Trick of the light, kid. But thanks for the information." he fished out a silver coin from all the gold in his pockets and tossed it to the boy. "See ya."

The boy's eyes shone as he bid Asch farewell and watched the God-general make his way purposefully toward the castle. _What the hell did that old woman do to me? I'm positive that I wasn't this soft when I went to sleep. _

_Amane_. his mind reminded him. _That was her name, Amane. _

_What was so strange about her, anyway? _his eyes squinted in concentration. _And why should her name be so familiar to me..?_

Asch cast his gaze around the city to find the streets almost deserted. _Everyone must be seeking an audience at the castle. _He vaguely surmised. Satisfied that he wouldn't bump into anyone -and secure in the knowledge that even if he did, they would be sure to be very, very sorry- he closed his eyes and cast his mind back.

_Amane_. he let his mind go blank._ Amane_.

_Visions of an underground city. Artificial light, and flowers that can only be found in two places in the world..._

_A room full of books, books he'd seen only once in his life at a very young age, and an ornate chair that he was never allowed to sit in, for it was reserved for someone else..._

"Hey, you. You here for an audience?"

Asch snapped his head up and opened his eyes to reveal an intensely annoyed expression. The guard at the gates took an instinctive step back. Asch grinned.

"Yeah," he stepped forward, earning the guard another step back. "Yeah, I guess I am."

***

Asch threw open the gigantic double doors to the castle, and hesitantly stepped inside. He stood shrouded in the shadow of the doors as they softly shut themselves, as he listened to the sound of his own heartbeat. He ignored the fact that it was abnormally fast.

_There is no big deal about seeing my... parents again. _Asch told himself, bracing himself against the doors. _So what if I haven't been home in... ten years..._

_Then why have you returned? _the mocking voice of reason came back in full force. _Why now?_

_Because I have nowhere else to go. _Asch answered himself, even at the same time hearing the snickering at the back of his mind, because his answer wasn't entirely true. He searched his mind and tried again.

"I need to know what happened to Luke... and they're the only people who can tell me." the God-general surprised himself by answering aloud. But he knew the words were true.

Steeled with purpose, the God-general marched forward out of the outer atrium, and made for the staircase to ascend to what he hoped would bring him answers.

_**What he saw made the breath rush from his lungs and his knees threaten to collapse.**_

It can't be.

"Luke?" his voice seemed to come from far away as he stared into the face that so closely resembled his.

"Asch!" Luke stood from the throne where he'd been sitting and stared at his original in disbelief.

"You're alive!" They both cried. Asch would have ran to close the distance between his reflection and himself, if he hadn't backed up a little and taken in his surroundings. Then, he froze on the spot.

Luke was standing beside a throne that he must have been sitting on before. That in itself raised a million questions and one, but it's what he saw next that his mind couldn't seem to process.

_Why is Natalia sitting in the throne next to Luke? Why is Luke on the throne in the first place? Why are they RULING TOGETHER? _

At the same time as Asch was having a mental meltdown, Luke was trying to decipher the emotions racing across his original's face.

_Disbelief. Joy. Confusion. ...Anger? _

"Asch?" Luke was about to step toward his original before he saw him turn to stone before his eyes. Asch's eyes slowly came up to meet his own, and they were filled with ice. "A-"

"I can't believe it's really you." up until now she'd been silent, but Princess _- or was it Queen now?- _Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear couldn't hold her tongue any longer. This was her fiance, finally come back for her. Back from the dead.

Under any other circumstances, Asch might have been glad to see Natalia- no, he definitely would have been happy. But at this instant, all he saw was a thief, a thief who had stolen what was most precious to him in the world. He shifted his gaze to Natalia and sent her a look so meaningful it needed no words. His eyes spoke of betrayal and hatred.

"You," Asch closed his eyes and bent his head so that his bangs shrouded his face. He found he couldn't look at Luke anymore, but he still felt the need to address him. "You lied to me. You promised me everything would be OK. I came back for you... I stayed alive hanging onto your words, knowing that I had to come back for you." his hands clenched into fists and became iron bars at his sides.

"So tell me!" Asch shouted, his head snapping up to lock eyes with Luke. He distantly became aware that his eyes were stinging. _Let him see. Let him see what he's done to me_. His voice started to shake. He didn't care. "Tell me. How long did it take you to forget me? Two days? Or did you wait a full week out of respect for the dead?"

The God-general felt something rush past him, and heard the doors slam shut behind him. Again, he distantly realized that Natalia had fled the chamber. He felt so disconnected from himself, he couldn't even be sure what he was seeing anymore. He was a little surprised to find how little he cared anymore. Four full minutes passed of heart-breaking silence.

"She thought you were talking about her," Luke said quietly. "She had her face in her hands. She didn't see that you were looking at m-" he faltered. ".. that you weren't looking at her."

Asch didn't answer. He was too busy examining exactly how much his life had been destroyed in the past fifteen minutes. More silence filled the room.

"Asch," so much tenderness filled Luke's voice, that Asch reluctantly opened his eyes. "What happened to you?"

Asch let his mind go back to his morbid thoughts. He didn't need his mind for this. He let his voice recite without emotion. "I've been asleep for six months. An old woman was taking care of me... I never did really understand why. I woke up yesterday," _Or was it today? I don't remember anymore... six months... two days... it's all blending together. Why should I bother with details? _"I came to find you as soon as I could... because... because..."_ I can't do this. I can't handle this. Why why why why why..._

While his original reeled in emotions no one should ever be feeling, Luke couldn't find his voice. _He just woke up. It feels like the day after to him... He found me as soon as he could... And I... And I..._

"The last thing I remember," Asch said quietly, once again hiding his eyes. For very different reasons this time. "Was your voice reaching out to me. You told me you'd keep me in your heart forever... you told me you'd never forget me."

Luke didn't hesitate this time. He rushed from his place on the throne, and almost tripped on the red velvet stairs. He stopped only when he saw that Asch had raised his hand to ward him off. He saw something sparkle on his original's face. It hurt Luke more than he'd ever admit.

"Asch," the few feet between them were like agony. After all this time... all this time, they were this close... and he couldn't even touch him. "It feels like yesterday to you, but.." _Please Lorelei, how can I make him understand? _"So much has happened since then. Natalia's nineteenth birthday..."

_Finally, I get the truth_. Asch dropped his outstretched hand back to his side, indicating for Luke to continue.

"Her dad originally wanted her to assume the throne at eighteen... I mean, isn't that the way it's done in royal families?" when he received no response, Luke sighed and ploughed on. "But so much was going on then... Even Uncle couldn't expect her to do something like that when she had so much else to deal with."

Although Asch was remaining stoically silent, he remembered everything Luke was talking about. _Everyone find out she isn't really the Princess Natalia... learning that Luke isn't really me... everything with Van... saving the world... It feels like yesterday to me. Of course I remember. _Asch's breathing hitched. _... But it's all a memory to him now. To them all. I am too..._

"Anyway," Luke went on, oblivious to Asch's pain. "With the peace that we brought to everyone... Uncle and Peony and everyone... They all thought the time was right for a real celebration. For Natalia to marry and take the throne... And everyone thought that I should do it."

Time stopped. "Do what?" his voice sounded so far away.

Luke took a deep breath. "Marry her. Rule Kimlasca with her. Uncle thought that I really proved myself in the battle... and everything I went through. He said that I'm strong now. Everyone thought I could do it..."

"And so you did it." It wasn't a question.

Defiance flared in Luke. "It wasn't that simple. What else was I going to do? We thought you were dead, and you were the heir to the throne. Who else could have married her?"

"So you took my place. Well why break with routine, we already had such a good pattern going." Through his pain, a familiar anger rose within Asch.

Hurt clouded Luke's expression for such a split second that Asch was sure he'd imagined it, so quickly was it replaced by anger. "Yeah I'm sure you had a lot to say about it, since you were so busy sleeping your life away. I don't think I buy your story Asch. Maybe you were happy being free and didn't want to come back and step up to do what I had to."

Something broke within Asch. "Think of that all by yourself, did you? I guess I'm impressed, since it seems you still let everyone else decide your life for you. Got forced into that marriage, right? You'll do anything anyone tells you. You still can't decide what you want, so you take the backseat and let everyone do everything for you. I guess I didn't miss all that much these past six months after all."

_What I wanted was ripped from me six months ago, you selfish bastard. _"Why did you even bother to come back?"

Asch looked into Luke's eyes for such a long moment, that it seemed to encompass time and space. His anger immediately cooled and was replaced by a calm sadness. _What did I think I'd find? Luke waiting here for me? He's moved on. He has a new life now. A life... _Asch heard the distinctive sound of his own heart breaking._ ... A life that I can't be part of anymore. "Why did I come back...?"_

"... Not for this."

The heartbroken God-general did the most painful thing he'd ever had to do in his life. He had to look his other half in the eyes and admit to himself that he had no place in his life anymore... and then turn around, and walk away.

***

Luke wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to die.

Unfortunately, none of these things were possible for him- so great was the pain taking over his body, that it took his breath away. He couldn't find his voice. He couldn't even breathe. He sank to his knees and willed himself to pass out. _This has to be a dream. This can't be real. He can't be gone. He can't be gone. He can't be..._

He stayed like that for a long time, he didn't know how long- what did time matter anymore?- when he heard a knock at the doors.

The captain of his knights poked his head through the door.

"Lord Fabre, the foreign ambassador has arrived. He called himself Zelos Wilder."


End file.
